The Speed of Silence
Predators and Prey; Part 1 It had been a few months since Nisshō Asakura had started his Zenkai training and he was starting to get the hang of it, and about to start the hard part of continuous training to actually obtain his new found power. As he walked through the , he sensed someone was nearby and by the feeling of the spiritual pressure, not someone he knew. "Who is that?" He wondered as he stealthily crept towards the target. The area he would walk through was a heavily forested one. Trees, shrubbery and grass dominated the landscape nearby the massive structures known as the Rocky Mountains. The only thing that broke what would've been a tense silence was the sound of chirping birds resting high within the treetops. While the Rocky Mountains had tourists by the millions, this area was particularly deserted. Nothing was here but the wildlife. At least, until now. As Nisshō walked, he would notice it out of the corner of his eye. A darkened figure could be seen in a section particularly thick with trees and foliage, moving parallel and opposite of the direction that he was moving. Because of the leaves and branches, details on its visage could not be seen. But the spiritual energy detected was coming from that direction. It was clear that the figure was the target that was being looked for. Then, it stepped behind another tree, and the spiritual signature detected would abruptly vanish off of Nisshō's spiritual radar. "What the....?" He asked as his senses were well trained and honed by his years of service with both the Gotei 13 and Royal Guard, he scanned again only to be blocked by something. "Ugh, this blows, where did he go?" He questioned as he used his Hohō to move silently throug the immediate area. This prey was not going to ellude him for long. It was the start of a hunt. The figure seemed to match him move for move as it was pursued. Its movements were sporadic, irregular and sudden. Sometimes, it would appear off to the side as it moved from tree to tree. Sometimes, it would be moving in front of Nisshō from a distance away. In all cases, it was keeping its distance from its pursuer, clearly not wanting to be caught. At the same time, however, its direction didn't seem to be aimless. It was as if the figure was heading towards a certain destination, even though all that was ahead of them were more trees and foliage. However, this chase would be shorter than expected - for in the midst of it, the unexpected happened. BOOM! Within the re-appearance out of a Flash Step movement, the area in which Nisshō was in was suddenly consumed in a violent explosion. The power was comparable to the explosion of an AGM-11 Hellfire missile, capable of blowing apart anything unfortunate enough to get caught within its radius. The explosion was spontaneous, sudden, and had not come from any projectile or other outside source. It was obvious that a trap had been set, and the figure had leaded its predator straight towards it. It was a question of who was predator now and who was the quarry... Upon hearing the boom, Nisshō non-verbally released his Bankai Hanshaha Kageyoshi, using his shield of sound to take the brunt of the explosion as the remainder of his Bankai took hold. "You let your guard down..." SSSSSHINK-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM-WHAM! Within the moment of his Bankai's release fully formed, two dormant Kidōs that were laced within the Kidō trap emerged in a lightning-activated display. Up from the ground, a thick yellow knotted chain rushed up and bound him, from his heels to his shoulders, while simultaneously six yellow rods of equal binding energy were launched to strike his body from all sides, totally ensuring immobility of the target. And to finish... "...Kurohitsugi!" from a both cloaked and unseen position a good distance away, a black field of energy formed around the former Royal Guard, with a fifty meter radius around the decimated formation of the forest. Within that field, violet-black particles of black light rose up within an instantaneous manner, forming a towering black coffin apparition, and upon its formation, produced the equivalent of half its potential. Enough power would be ensured to shred and obliterate nearly any form of defense projected by Nisshō. Upon coming into contact with the spells, his barrier was seen, sparking as it was grinding against the binding spells. Looking up, Nisshō saw the level 90 hadō surrounding his body. "Whoever these people are, they are good....... but not good enough," As he said this he used the sound of the hadō forming to form a reverse suction effect, blowing it backwards, causing it to shatter. "Anything else?" He taunted as he stood in the air, clad in his Bankai. "He's good. Well, Qilin," Kōjaku spoke through his telepathic link with his partner, formed from the basis of a passively active Tenteikūra that he marked upon his covered left forearm, "should we show ourselves or prod him a bit more? It doesn't seem that our traps will have the intended affect, considering he activated his Bankai..." "Might as well. Considering how quickly he evaded my trap, he's shown he's got very good senses. Let's cut to the chase..." Was the response back to Kōjaku. On the outside, however... "I'm liking this guy already..." Here was where the first of the assailants would make themselves known. As the energized coffin was shattered, the figure Nisshō had been pursuing before decided to make himself known to his target. Calmly, he stepped out into view and allowed his visage to be taken in. It was a man with black hair tied into a ponytail, hazel eyes and tanned skin. He wore a strange variant of the Gotei 13 Captain's uniform, but it was clearly official. In one of his hands, he held a sword of an entirely blackened color while the other was resting behind his back. He wore a composed smile on his face as he regarded his target, his gait speaking nothing but nonchalant attitude despite the situation they both were in. Looking at the man he smirked and felt the intensity of his spiritual force. "So those were your traps huh?" He asked as he reverted from his Bankai, choosing to use his Shikai for the ensuing battle, these figures had started. As he looked at him, one could hear a high pitched whine as his blade started to vibrate very quickly, the whining getting louder. "Actually..." Kōjaku followed his comrade as well as he spoke, retaining an equally smooth gait as he smiled toothily upon seeing his enemy with his own, narrowed eyes. Wearing a standard long sleeved Captain's Haori, the garments underneath he wore were violet and noble in texture and appearance, clearly divering away from the black-white uniform standard to Soul Reapers. With a tsuba-less violet hilt and scabbard Zanpakutō wrapped around his chest with a violet silk-strap, matching the violet high-rise ponytail, fastened by a satin-white ribbon. However, unlike his partner, Kōjaku was more than obliged to answer his target of interest's question, "they were both of ours...Nisshō Asakura." Predators and Prey; Part 2 "So you know who I am?" He asked as he chuckled, his red hair blowing in the winds and his Shihakushō being the only thing he wore in his shinigami state, discarding his two haori, one with a 9 and the other a 0 on the back. Looking at them he simply vanished from sight with Shunpo and appeared behind them, poised to attack. "Those who know of me, would never attack me, without fear of dying where they stand." Reaction, reflex, prediction and accuracy were necessities. Beforehand, Qilin, as he was referred to, would have to take into the account the high-pitched whining that Nisshō's sword was producing. This was where more subtle use of his spiritual energy came into play. He built up reiatsu within both of his ear canals to act as earplugs, blocking out the loud sounds of that his Shikai was making. It was a precaution to ensure that he would not fall into any potential traps his opponent could set up in retaliation to the ones that he himself had set. During the movement, Qilin allowed himself to act as well. In a smooth and fluid motion, he twisted his body around and pointed the tip of his blade just as Nisshō was coming out of the Flash Step, resulting in the sword being pointed at his forehead. Each movement was made with accurate prediction and perception, his senses locking on and tracking his target's movements. Even so, he couldn't help but note the man's immense speed. The Flash Steps used seemed more akin to teleportation than anything else, and anyone else certainly would have been fooled by it. But he had much more experience than that. "Glad to see we're exceptions of the bunch..." In sync with Qilin's movement, Kōjaku spun on the heels of his sandals, kicking up a flourishing exhaust of dust in his wake as he grasped the handle of his Zanpakutō, but did not draw it. Retaining his smile, he had allowed his eyes to take in Nisshō's earlier demonic appearance as well as the power obviously had surged from him, warping the atmosphere visibly around him. Having also noticed the incredible Spiritual Power projecting from within his core, something that caused Kōjaku's spine to tingle in anticipation. "That's some Bankai you got there, Nisshō-kun," Kōjaku spoke with barely contained excitemnt, but spoke all the same with a cool, smooth tone as he clicked the blade an inch out of its sheathe, "mind giving me a lasting impression of it? I'd hate to forget such an ugly mug before I clean your act up..." Causing his blade to come into contact with Qilin's created a large spark barrage, and as it did so he smirked. "So you can track my movements? Interesting considering I am the fastest soul in the Soul Society." He commented as he darted a look at Kōjaku. "If you're lucky you'll see it later," He said smugly as he pushed off of Qilin's sword cutting into its blade slightly. "This is one of my Shikai, Hanshaha Shijima, the vibrating cutter." "!!!" Qilin's eyes widened slightly when he saw Nisshō's weapon start to dig into his own weapon. His mind clicked, taking in what had happened now and before. Prior to the first explosion initiated as well as the Kidō released by Kōjaku, he had seen the very same effect making up the barrier protecting him from the Bakudō spells. As he saw it up close and heard Nisshō, he could identify what exactly he was dealing with. This wasn't just a blade of extreme cutting power. This was a sword that used intense vibrations to force its way through and break an enemy's defense. An anticipating grin came across his face. Then, while their blades were still locked, he summoned an unspoken Tzusuri Raiden spell. In the midst of parrying, he sent the yellow bolts of electricty from his own blade and through Nisshō's in an attempt to damage and paralyze him at the same time. Then, after focusing reiatsu within his blade thick enough to create a thin aura around it, he thrust himself forward and began an aggressive attack on his target's form. The black blade was swung in fluid and lethal motions, its owner's swings exhibiting that of a master swordsman. The aura was made to forcefully slow down the blade's vibration level with heavy friction, reducing its cutting potential and keeping his own weapon intact. "They always did say," He spoke, even as he continued to clash with Nisshō. "I had an eye for detail!" Taking opportunity of his comrade's assault, Kōjaku kept one hand on the hilt of his Zanpakutō as he initiated a stunning-pace series of Flash Steps of his own, appearing in multiple directions around his opponent in a simultaneous, blurring fashion. Doing this, he swung out his two forefingers, beginning to discharge dozens of Byakurais, all of them retaining an incredible penetrative and electrical power to counter any forcefield created by Nisshō's sonic-based Zanpakutō. That, and he forcefully guided the arcs and currents of his Kidō to ensure that they would fall within the gaps within Qilin's attacks, making sure there wouldn't be a single opening for him to evade or prepare a counterattack of his own. Taking in a breath, Nisshō quickly focused his reishi in the base of his throat before firing firing his Hypersonic Screech at Qilin, pushing him away from the attacks being thrown at him by Kōjaku. Spinning on the spot he continued to fire the screech as he spun in place, folding his Wall of Sound around his body, before quickly using Teigo Hanshaha to boost its power. "This is getting annoying fast" He thought as the screech grew ten times louder. "Ngh--!!" Although he was forced away by the force of the scream unleashed by his enemy, Qilin managed to right himself and flip back onto his feet. Although he could feel the vibrations press against his skin, the concentration of spiritual energy within his ear canal had saved him from having his eardrums busted. He could only hope that his partner had provided himself with equally effective protection. After all, they wouldn't have sent him with a partner if the situation didn't require it. As he squinted his eyes, he could feel the vibrating spiritrons of the wall restoring itself around his body. Not only was he forcing an omni-directional attack, but he was also ensuring protection in the midst of a counter-attack. He narrowed his eyes, thrusting his sword out as if attempting to cut through the vibrations being launched towards him. But in reality, he was about to unleash a much more dangerous ability. If this was a challenge, then it was going to be accepted with zealous eagerness. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! There was a total of four explosions, equal in size but great in power to the very first that had been unleashed. They had been set off in a chain reaction, using the very vibrations directed at Qilin as a tracer path to hit the very source. The last explosion consuming the area where Nisshō was, incinerating trees to nothing but ashes and dust. In the wake of the destruction, Qilin had his eyes narrowed in concentration and his stance prepared. Anyone more foolish would've assumed the man had been killed with that alone. But he knew better than to assume... Out of the Frying Pan Having seen Nisshō's quick successions of sound waves coming, preemptively, Kōjaku propelled himself up into the sky, a good twenty meters away from the majority of the parallel-aligned sonic projected vibrations. Arriving just above where the crop of explosions were occurring, Kōjaku unsheathed his sword and spun it around in a rolling arc, creating a an immense fissure of shredding and pressurized wind. Within the apex of the explosions, he then hurled the massive column wind, lighting it aflame with Haien, as well as funnel a fierce thunderous force of Raikōhō upon the same point of impact... WHOOOOSH-C-CRACK-BOOOM!!! ...it would cause such an incredible explosion, that the entirety of nearly three city blocks of the forest's landscape was uprooted and obliterated by the force alone. The all-consuming flames of Haien would ensure scalding, ebbing damage, while the micro-burst affect from Tenran and the instantaneous surge of electrical energy upon point of impact would create a nearly impossible force to counter, even for Nisshō. Winding the loud sound of the explosion around his form, he tripled the strength of the barrier but also tripled the speed of his spin. In doing so he was able to survive the massive explosion which wreaked the forest even further. Wobbling like an unstable top, he tried to steady himself but in the process was struck by the multi-kidō micro burst, causing a large explosion of unstable energy, leveling a greater portion of the mountain range, and flattening the land with its force. Once the dust cleared Nisshō was seen face down in a crater, barely breathing as his body was badly damaged by the explosion of his own reiatsu and the kidō assault. As he lay there his body seem to react on its own, as his and when it did so the color didn't match the rest of him. The bruised and battered portions of his body were peeling off, as his hair started to grow longer. Nisshō seemed to be hollowfying as he picked himself up slowly, laughing as he did so. "That level of attack was impressive, I will tell you that, but....... did you really think it would stop me?" He asked as his left eye was yellow and black, and his skin peeled off to form a demonic red visage. "The power of hell.....it's breathtaking isn't it?" He asked the two menacingly. And thus, the reason they were hunting him had come to the surface for them to see. Qilin could only stare in amazement and wonder as he saw his enemy recover and regenerate. To tell the truth, he had only been briefed on things that had come from Hell. But being in the presence of someone who wielded power derived from the dimension was another experience entirely. The signature of his energy was starting to shift from normal to twisted, warped and eerie. It was enough to make a slight bead of sweat fall down his face as he stared upon his enemy's new form. "So this is the same thing the Gotei 13 fears..." He thought to himself, the corner of his mouth forming into a small smirk. "Well, then. This should be a bit more of a challenge to overcome..." "It's impressive to see, but..." With a quick and flourishing flip of his sword, Qilin stabbed it into the ground. BOOM! A massive geyser of explosive white fire erupted from underneath Nisshō in an attempt to catch him off guard and break his defenses. The width of the geyser was several times the target's size, large enough to swallow him within its heat. Though the flames lasted for only a brief moment, they would be powerful enough to incinerate his body into ashes. "...not enough to make me lose my cool..." Qilin finished, releasing the handle of his sword and taking a few steps away from it. Kōjaku could only stare, jaws agape at the horrifying sight that was transpiring before him. This power...the ghastly properties of the power coursing through Nisshō was astoundingly dark and twisted. It was no wonder why he was considered an incredible threat. If misused or harnessed, Nisshō could cause tantamount proportions of destruction in his wake, and destabilize the precious balance between both worlds. But it was only a moment, as he captured this event within his mind as he wordlessly released his Zanpakutō, allowing it to sift within to the plethora of "memories" assimilated within the spirit's consciousness, as well as his own. When he saw Qilin counterattack, he made sure to follow up... Pointing his blade towards where the fissure of flames were, as well as the undeniable presence of his target would be, he formed four collosal pink-white spears of energy. Within a simple utterance, "Senjū Kōten Taihō!" before he swiped his blade towards his target, sending the dozen spears of house-sized proportions, spearing through the fissures of flames projected by his comrade... VOOOOOOOM!!! ...before causing half the gait and height of a skyscraper of disassimilating, incendiary energy with Nisshō at its epicenter, coming into the form a vibrant and thunderously projected pink-white star. As the energy roiled over, intending on destroying the target if Qilin's explosion hadn't, Kōjaku landed next to his comrade via deft Flash Step, keeping his hand tight on the hilt of his Zanpakutō as he awaited their enemy to step forth and reveal himself. "You do realize it would be too easy if we killed him just like that?" Kōjaku asked rhetorically to Qilin, as he kept a pair of keen, narrowed eyes at the bright and incredibly compressed star of degenerating energy. And Into the Fire Heat.... The heat of the twin attacks caused the air to vibrate to an insane degree. Nisshō's body started to vibrate at a speed of about 500 times a second, allowing the attacks to phase through his form and continue to heat the environment. "I thank you for the fuel for your deaths..." He said as he held up his sword, the blade vibrating so fast it could not be seen by the naked eye. As he used his augmented powers he swung the blade in wide arcs calling out Hanshaha Shijima's name before causing it to use the vibrating air molecules in order to extend at a high rate of speed. This high-speed blade extension was caused by the sword itself occupying multiple planes using the principle of superposition to create a long sword to strike the two combatants down. He moved at high speeds around the two as he used his sword as a whip creating a large vacuum. Qilin had only one thought for this situation. "...oops." To be fair, he couldn't be entirely blamed for accidentally feeding power to their enemy. He had been dependent on the speed and power of his blast to ambush and take his enemy off guard, not expecting Nisshō to have absorbed it so quickly and readily. By now, he could easily suspect that such an ability was automatic and constant, allowing Nisshō to absorb it all without even having to focus. Heat was one factor that would help speed up a potential defeat. So he would have to correct his mistake. WOOSH! With a Flash Step, he took to the air. This was followed by multiple Flash Steps in order to narrowly evade getting sliced by the extended sword. There was barely enough room to do so, and he found his clothes taking several swipes. Thankfully, he was moving quick enough to keep the blade from penetrating his skin, evading injury by the skin of his teeth. When he finally got to the position he wanted, he twisted himself around and thrust a hand out just as another swipe was reaching his position. "Hyōga Seiran!!" With that, a massive wave of ice would erupt from his palm, enveloping the portion of the blade nearest to him and moving downwards at a rapid pace. It would crash down upon the earth, freezing anything within a good portion of the area and destroying weaker targets through its sheer power. If heat was meant to speed up vibration, the cold would slow it down or stop it. Qilin was putting enough energy into the attack for the temperature within the area to become an extreme hindrance for their target. Kōjaku knew at this time he couldn't hold back, not even with Kidō. Seeing as the raw explosive power that followed was simply shrugged off by the beast of a man, Kōjaku made a rush to the bare perimeter of where he saw Qilin discharge his wave of ice. Slamming the palm of his left hand into the ground, a sudden burst of emerald energy would evelop the entire area of which Nisshō would be within, be it airborne or ground level, causing everything to instantaneously halt. "Its a spacial stasis field, made by the sudden hyper-contraction of Spiritual Energy through the spacial fabric within this dimension. This Kidō cannot be broken by force or exertion of power. He'll need to find another way to overcome this, but we still don't have long," Kōjaku informed Qilin through the telepathic communique through the Tenteikūra passively active, "any ideas of how we should go about stopping this one-man-army?" When the intense cold hit his Zanpakutō, the blade rapidly shrunk due to being cooled off and as a result it started to slow to a halt. As the remainder of the ice fell to the ground around Nisshō he felt alot of his strength fleeting from his form as the air cooled to a chilling degree. "So they cooled it down, while I cannot harness the vibrations around me because it is so cold, very smart, but everything vibrates and I feel as though this time is going to give me ample time to set this next thing up." He thought as he was hit by the second attack, freezing him in stasis for a time. While he remained entombed his mind slowly started to go as he was forced to remain in his form for a prolonged period of time, in doing so all semblance of a man started to fade away in his mind as he started to vibrate at a higher rate of speed, pushing hiss body to its limits as he started to move at about 2000 times per second. "Here comes Nisshō," He said with an insane grin. "Vibrations..." Qilin steadily kept his eyes on the stasis field Kōjaku created, a look of intense concentration on his face. "So far, the powers that he's been showing the two of us are composed of sound and vibration. We have to find a way to pin him in and suffocate him so that his powers will be effectively nullified. Not really sure how we're going to ''do that, though..."'' "Wait a minute! His powers are composed by vibrating his body and the sound waves around himself, of course! I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier!" Kōjaku mentally communicated his frustration, slapping his face audibly as he looked over at Qilin with a feral smile, "I know the perfect technique to box this guy in. I just need him to stay still for five seconds and then I can pin him down for good!" "...that's...what I just got done saying..." It was all that it took for his partner to spare him an incredulous glance, taken aback by the basic repeat of what had been confirmed. "Wh...where was ''your mind when I was confirming that? Really, if you're repeating it just to feel smart, then I could understand, but..."'' "Well...I was kinda thinking about Taiyō's body, if you must know..." Kōjaku smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked over at Qilin, "its not like you were saying anything important that I didn't already know, right, Qilin-san?" Silence. Qilin found himself staring at Kōjaku with a mixture of shock, disbelief, irritation, and possible brain malfunction written on his face. He even leaned forward a little, and the sound of creaking could've been heard. To zone out was one thing. To think of someone else in the manner Kōjaku was gave the impression that someone was at least a little outside of their mental boundaries. In addition, asking for information already known was very... pointless. To top it all off, this was a Kuchiki, the normally stoic and composed geniuses of the Soul Society. The silence lasted for an uncomfortable moment before Qilin spoke again. "Ju...just tell me the plan, damn you..." Inside the spacial barrier, Nisshō's vibrations topped out at around 4500 times a second and his mind was lost in the madness of the underworld. Blinking he uttered one word, "Bankai" and with this word things turned for the worse as his powerlevels skyrocketed and with it so did his speed as he rammed into the wall of the barrier at full speed, clocking in at mach 7. "You shall die now...." The royal guard member said with a low growl, showing his monstrous tendencies. "Keep him busy for just ten seconds and leave the rest to me! Just try not dying!" Kōjaku saluted Qilin with his forefingers before he shifted away, disappearing from sight and sensation, as he silently released his Zanpakutō and prepared to use it against this opponent. All he had to do, was let Qilin distract him for a moment and then it'd allow him to strike. He just hoped this man's Hellspawn powers didn't get too erratic, otherwise they might need more than the two of them to defeat this monstrocity... "Wh-what--?!" Qilin recoiled in shock at the statement and sudden disappearance of his partner, his mouth opening in order to fully express that feeling. In summary, his partner had just left him alone with their target, who would soon break through to the outside once more. Right then and there, the urge to kill the Kuchiki in his sleep had come to mind. But as he turned his attention back towards the temporary prison, it was thrown into the back of his head. "Okay, ten seconds? That's way too easy..." He thought to himself. "Just hope that whatever Kōjaku's up to works..." Slamming into the barrier wall at mach 7, he was able to crack it and doing so once again he was able to attain freedom. Shattering the wall and bursting through, N stood in his Bankai, etched on his red form like a scar. He held up his hand and closed his fist, releasing a large pressure ball in the direction of Qilin using the vibrations coming off his body to fuel it. "You made it cold....you shouldn't have done that." "Fu--!!" In an instant and thanks to his reflexes, Qilin had managed to summon up a an Enkōsen spell to block the attack directed his way. But when it collided, it consumed the hastily crafted barrier and exploded in a display of cancelling out. The Captain shut one of his eyes as his feet were forced to skid back against the ground a little. But it didn't stop him from extending out one of his hands out to where he could sense his target. TCHWOW!' Without hesitation, he unleashed the energy of a Sōkatsui spell on Nisshō. The size of it was enough to dwarf the remaining trees in the area. Speeding out the way of the spell, he appeared in the sky and again fired several pressure balls towards the Shinigami below, laughing as he fired them from both hands, punching the air as he did so. Unfortunately, as Nisshō was so focused with annihilating Qilin, he'd suddenly find himself surrounded by six rings floating around parallel to his being. These rings, previously not even being sensed or manifested up until now, just appeared out of thin air. Within the instant of appearing however, they began to discharge a large exhaust of violet-black energy into the air, engulfing and surrounding Nisshō within a matter of seconds. Once totally enfolded, Nisshō wouldn't be able to hear, taste, smell, or see. On the outside, one would notice the manfiestation of infamous Bankai from infamous Soul Reaper, Kaname Tōsen! "Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi!" Kōjaku whispered within the black void that was the interior of the Bankai from which Nisshō would be surrounded within. Due to the non-existence of sound for his opponent, as well as literally no vibrations within the artificially modified atmosphere, his opponent, is no powerless to fight back. And that, is when Kōjaku began his assault... SWING-BWHOOSH! Kōjaku moved with incredible speed and power, taking the stance of Kendō, utilizing as much force and power into slashing his blade in a clean bifurcating slice towards the man's torso in a diagonal arc. Hoping to cut him so cleanly, that he wouldn't have any hope of surviving, Kōjaku would then follow up with a swift thrust of his left palm, discharging an enveloping blast of Raikōhō, intending on turning the man's body into ash with the swift and successive attack, should his sword strike fail. Silence, something that set N off as it made him uneasy and as the sword cut into his waist he didn't let it go any deeper than a shallow wound. His vibrations were cut short, limiting their range. At the point of the cut his limited vibrations bounced back from the blade to his body, making him feel that he was near, despite the fact he could not see, hear or smell his opponent. He skidded across the ground and when the spell neared him he felt the heat which caused him to duck after being burned on his right arm. N tried to open his mouth but no sound could be heard, growing more angry he tried to increase the output of his own bodies vibrations, only finding that they would not hold. "So I can't use my senses........ and I can't harness any vibrations here...... guess I will have to run around, even without vibrations, I am still the fastest....." He thought in broken segments as he kicked his flash steps into high gear. Through the smoke left behind blasts, Qilin's crouched figure could be seen. The pressurized assault had missed him, thanks to him shifting on the ground and evading accordingly. He had been left unharmed, and thus he calmly stood up to regard the massive black sphere which surrounded the two enemies. "So, Kōjaku decided to play that hand, eh...?" He muttered to himself, turning himself around and walking back to his blade. "Guess this means that I'm sitting out..." Once he approached, he pulled the sword from the ground before resting it on one of his shoulders. His other hand was in his pocket. Despite his words, he didn't bother resealing his Zanpakutō. "The blowhard's going to get all the credit for this one, I can tell..." He muttered, rolling his eyes slightly. "That is, if he manages to actually beat the guy..." The Speed of Silence As N ran about the dome, he tried to maintain momentum and generate his own vibrations in order to attack, but to no avail, he hit a wall and simply moved up the length scaling it as he ran. "I....need.........vibrations......." he thought as a junky, as his inner core was still moving at high speeds, maintaining about a 5000 time a second motion, however he couldn't access this momentum while in the dome. "Qilin, I need your strongest attack pin-pointed onto the manifestation I created," Kōjaku responded via telepathy to his comrade, watching the rapid movements made awkwardly by the senses-impaired, Demonified entity rushing around with a longing in his eyes, "he's currently minimized by his full strength due to the atmosphere of zero vibrations around him. If you attack this whole area, he can't avoid the damage," with a wry smile, he added, "don't worry about me. Just tell me when you're attacking and I'll be prepared..." "Well... that was certainly fast." Qilin couldn't help but blink at the sudden request for assistance, a bit caught off-guard by the sudden need for his physical input. It was fortunate that he had not chosen to seal his Zanpakutō. Otherwise, it would have taken crucial time to react and recover from his idleness. It only took him the briefest of moments to raise his Zanpakutō up in preparation. "You sure you want me to do it? The trap you set may be at risk if I do this..." Qilin said warningly, flipping his sword so that he was holding it in a backhand position. "Don't worry. I believe he's almost out of time using this great power of his," Kōjaku mentally prodded, "its a shame he didn't try and kill us quickly. No wonder the Soul Society...no...the Spirit King wants him imprisoned. If he continues fighting with his demonic powers, his mind is going to be gone and the world of the living will be a husk of its former self. Do it quickly, for I still have a few cards left in my arsenal I can use against his kind..." "Well, if you insist..." With Kōjaku's assurance, Qilin decided to put his reluctance aside and risk it. He raised the blade over his shoulder, holding it in a position similar to how he would've held a lance. He used his hand as a sort of "iron sight", lining them up with his target - the massive sphere around the two combatants. He held that position for a moment, making sure that he would hit directly. Then, with a grunt, he threw his sword tip first at it with immense force. Once the blade stabbed into the side of the sphere, and Qilin allowed himself to yell mentally to Kōjaku one time. "GET OUT NOW, IT'S GONNA BLOW!!" Sure enough... BOOM! An explosion consumed the entirety of the sphere, consuming and partially dwarfing the Bankai within its light. Qilin himself was forced to raise an arm over his face in order to shield his eyes from the illumination. As the replication of Tōsen's bankai was ripped apart in the blast, N was flung into the air, having taken the full force of the explosion, leaving him scarred and injured as he lay on the ground appearing lifeless. As with before his wounds started to heal. As his injuries healed, they evaporated off of his form, however seconds after it started, his demonic form vanished and his red skin receded off of his body, leaving him staggering to get up while in his bankai. "Oh no....." he thought to himself as he had not only lost his ace in the hole he also knew that he hadn't fully healed before it failed. Looking down his saw his right arm was broken, due to when he fell to the ground and he held it lightly as he looked at Qilin and the Kuchiki. "Alright, This is where I draw the line in the sand with you two......" he said with slight anger in his tone as he held his hand up to his heart and a faint glow was seen coming from his body. "Hanshaha Kageyoshi: Chōzetsu....come forth" he attempted to say mentally but the technique failed. "Damn, can I not call it forth now?" he asked himself as he tried again but to no avail. "My Bankai must be at its limit now....." He thought as he suddenly felt a strange rushing sensation as his Bankai failed completely and he reverted back to his Shikai, falling to his knees he stared at his sword and closed his eyes. "I am sorry Hanshaha..." Within the folds of destructive fire and light, one could see Kōjaku's form surrounded by what would be seen as a violet-white, folded flower of Kidō barrier-energy, the outside of it appeared charred and cracked, but did not give way from the immense explosive force and pressure. As the violence receded, the flower petals unfurled and then sizzled into the air, revealing an unharmed Kōjaku, revealing his specially crafted Bakudo technique: Jōkai Kiku. "Relax," Kōjaku spoke via telepathy, as he observed the physically and spiritually exhausted, as well as wounded, Soul Reaper below his location, "I'm fine. It also looks like your attack did the trick, as it appears his Spiritual Power is significantly weakened from having been choked by my technique and then injured to that extent. Want to deliver the honors of taking him into custody, or should I?" "I will..." After recovering from the light treatment that they all had been made to see, Qilin shifted back into a more composed and casual attitude. This time, he resealed his Zanpakutō and slid it back within its sheathe, steadily approaching the fallen warrior. "You head back and report that the prisoner will be arriving shortly." As N stared at his Zanpakutō he visited his inner world where he saw both Hanshaha and Hanshaha Kageyoshi staring at him with malice. The manifestation of his Shikai was crying as she was in pain and his Bankai wanted to rip him apart. "You did this!" the bankai said as he took to the skies. "You will pay, but that will come later......here is the knowledge of a long forgotten power, and a bit of my own reiatsu....... defeat them....... or we will cease to exist." Kageyoshi said as N opened his eyes. "Stop," he said to Qilin as he staggered to get up again. "Lets end this like men........ one final clash." He said calmly before his reiatsu flared up a bit, far less than before. "Bankai!" He stated as he re-entered a tattered form of his Bankai and in his left hand he was holding Hanshaha Kageyoshi: Chōzetsu. "One final clash.......lets go" He said as he stared down at Qilin and only Qilin, pointing his blade at him. "Alright, I'll do just tha-''" Kōjaku was about to mentally add before he noticed the sudden rise of Spiritual Pressure once again. Turning around on his heels, he used Flash Step to breach the distance with ease, landing just beside Qilin with his sword ready, speaking through his thoughts once again, "''I wish this guy would just give up! Thoughts on how to proceed?" But Qilin would not respond right away. At the release of the Bankai, his eyes widened in surprise and wonder at the newfound resolve within their enemy. This man was using all of his energy for one last attack? He couldn't help but admire the desire not to bow down to defeat, the determination displayed. One corner of his mouth curled upward in a smile, and as his expression regressed back to being calm, his eyes flashed with approval for the briefest of moments. Who was he to deny such a request? He raised an arm out, stopping Kōjaku from making a move. "Don't be hasty..." He said out loud. "For all the trouble we've caused, I think it's fine if I abide by his last request..." With that being said, he took a few steps forward from his partner and walked a bit closer to Nisshō. The smile faded as quickly as it had come, but he still regarded Nisshō with calm and cool eyes. "Attack whenever you're ready..." N used Flash Steps to take to the skies. After this act, he negated his own protection field, channeling it and every vibration he could muster along the edge of his blade. He was charging his Teiato technique and once the edge of his blade started to hum at high speeds he swung his blade towards Qilin, releasing a potent and highly concentrated attack. "Teiato!" He said as once it was released one could feel a large dip in his spiritual powers. His attack sped through the air, creating a large vacuum wave effect as it not only parted the air it also parted the ground as it dug into it, closing the gap between N and Qilin. Qilin couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the choice of final attack N made. It was an attack with generous amounts of effort placed into it. But he was expecting a close-range strike, something akin to two warriors clashing their blades one final time. The blade of the finished would shatter, and the finisher's would deliver the crippling blow. Maybe he had been a bit too idealistic when dealing with such situations. He wasn't hesitant on commenting on this. "How disappointing..." WOOSH! SLICE! Within movements that seemed to be merged into one, Qilin re-appeared behind Nisshou, drew his sword, cut a deep gash from the shoulder down into his back, and resheathed it. The force of the attack would be enough to throw N back into the ground with immense force, his body like a speeding bullet towards the earth below. The warrior fell, crippled by the attack, he was cocky, using a technique in his weakened state. Falling he lost consciousness and with it his bankai faded away, returning to its sealed state once again. Category:Roleplay